28 September, 2004
Blair's Speech
The breakdown of the speech is from here
The formatting and emphasis is mine.
Tony Said:
Iraq
The prime minister began by expressing his "support and solidarity" for British hostage Ken Bigley and his family and sent his condolences to the latest British casualties in Iraq
[poons - can someone check when the last time he used the word solidarity]
Mr Blair said problems of trust stemmed from decisions and judgements he had made since the 11 September terror attacks
Saying he wanted to tackle the Iraq issue "head on", he said: "I can apologise for the information that turned out to be wrong but I can't sincerely apologise for removing Saddam"
[poons - the information was wrong - has anyone paid the price?]
Terrorists in Iraq were not there to liberate the country and were not provoked by coalition actions, argued Mr Blair
[poons - were not provoked by coalition actions - did you know my real name is Susan?]
Whatever the differences over the war, Mr Blair urged delegates to unite by standing by Iraqis and being determined to see the job through
The law should be changed to make religious discrimination unlawful as part of showing British Muslims they were being treated fairly
Mr Blair promised to make a personal priority of reviving the Middle East peace process after November, when the US elections happen, saying it would do more to defeat terrorism than bullets ever could.
[poons - Personal - that means if it fails, you go.]
Election prospects
"Here we are, facing the possibility, unique in our 100 year history of governing Britain for a third successive term," said Mr Blair.
The "third term mission" had to be making Britain a country "where power, opportunity and wealth are in the hands of the many, not the few"
He said he wanted the 21st century to be dominated by progressive politics, with conservatism only punctuation marks
[poons - would that be an exclamation mark or a full stop?}
"With the courage of our convictions we can deliver the third term and the lasting change," he said
He concluded: "I tell you conference, it is worth the fight now let's get out and do it."
[poons - you first then (make a change from the last local elections ) ]
The third term
[poons - I was considering doctering the above title to third reich. I didn't]
Mr Blair gave 10 pointers to what could be expected from another Labour government:
Economy: Low mortgage rates, rising living standards, more jobs in every region of the UK, special help for the first time homebuyers and tax reliefs for the "many not the few"
Skills: The same commitment to vocational training as given to academic education, including 300,000 modern apprenticeships
Schools: A choice of a good specialist school for every parent; 200 new City Academies in inner city areas; new powers for head teachers to tackle school disruption; modern sports facilities as schools are rebuilt; working to bring the Olympics to Britain in 2012
Health: Patients able to choose their hospital and book treatment times; waiting times down to 18 weeks; 100 new hospital schemes; 2,700 GP premises improved
Families: Universal, affordable and flexible childcare for parents of all three to 14-year-olds
Retirement: increased numbers moving off benefit and into work and using the savings to design a pension system with the basic state pension at its core, helping hard-working families
Technology: An extra £1bn investment in science; more support for small business; broadband would be brought to every home that wants it by 2008 in an effort to end the "digital divide"
New approach to law and order: dedicated policing teams for all communities; a radical extension of compulsory drug testing for offenders; doubling of investment in drug treatment; trial without jury for organised criminals trying to intimidate jurors
Asylum: More asylum seekers to be removed from Britain than applied each month; electronic registration of all those who cross national borders; but welcome for lawful migrants
[poons - sheesh I'm in tears here what a socialist utopia.
Oh! Hang on.
Economy: tax reliefs for the "many not the few" Socialist = tax reliefs for the poor, increases for the few
Schools: What happened to removing education by priviledge? - oh wait
Successes
Mr Blair pointed to key changes Labour had achieved: including
* record economic success - Gordon Brown
* investment in health and education - Gordon Brown
*drives against pensioner winter problems and Northern Ireland peace - Gordon Brown and Mo Mowlem
"Why is government so tough? Because for all the progress, life is still tough for not hard working families," he went on
[poons - not sure if that is a a typo or a bushism?]
He saluted Gordon Brown as the country's best ever chancellor and John Prescott as "the strongest, most loyal, occasionally most outspoken deputy any leader would ever hope for"
[poons - obligatory arse licking]
The prime minister said he could not take the Liberal Democrats seriously and Tory leader Michael Howard was no longer doing well because people had remembered him
[poons - obligatory rattle stick in empty bucket]
Mr Blair insisted "choice" was not a Tory word as long as it was done equally and not by wealth
[poons- cue complete dissafectedness]
¶ Tuesday, September 28, 2004
The formatting and emphasis is mine.
Tony Said:
Iraq
The prime minister began by expressing his "support and solidarity" for British hostage Ken Bigley and his family and sent his condolences to the latest British casualties in Iraq
[poons - can someone check when the last time he used the word solidarity]
Mr Blair said problems of trust stemmed from decisions and judgements he had made since the 11 September terror attacks
Saying he wanted to tackle the Iraq issue "head on", he said: "I can apologise for the information that turned out to be wrong but I can't sincerely apologise for removing Saddam"
[poons - the information was wrong - has anyone paid the price?]
Terrorists in Iraq were not there to liberate the country and were not provoked by coalition actions, argued Mr Blair
[poons - were not provoked by coalition actions - did you know my real name is Susan?]
Whatever the differences over the war, Mr Blair urged delegates to unite by standing by Iraqis and being determined to see the job through
The law should be changed to make religious discrimination unlawful as part of showing British Muslims they were being treated fairly
Mr Blair promised to make a personal priority of reviving the Middle East peace process after November, when the US elections happen, saying it would do more to defeat terrorism than bullets ever could.
[poons - Personal - that means if it fails, you go.]
Election prospects
"Here we are, facing the possibility, unique in our 100 year history of governing Britain for a third successive term," said Mr Blair.
The "third term mission" had to be making Britain a country "where power, opportunity and wealth are in the hands of the many, not the few"
He said he wanted the 21st century to be dominated by progressive politics, with conservatism only punctuation marks
[poons - would that be an exclamation mark or a full stop?}
"With the courage of our convictions we can deliver the third term and the lasting change," he said
He concluded: "I tell you conference, it is worth the fight now let's get out and do it."
[poons - you first then (make a change from the last local elections ) ]
The third term
[poons - I was considering doctering the above title to third reich. I didn't]
Mr Blair gave 10 pointers to what could be expected from another Labour government:
Economy: Low mortgage rates, rising living standards, more jobs in every region of the UK, special help for the first time homebuyers and tax reliefs for the "many not the few"
Skills: The same commitment to vocational training as given to academic education, including 300,000 modern apprenticeships
Schools: A choice of a good specialist school for every parent; 200 new City Academies in inner city areas; new powers for head teachers to tackle school disruption; modern sports facilities as schools are rebuilt; working to bring the Olympics to Britain in 2012
Health: Patients able to choose their hospital and book treatment times; waiting times down to 18 weeks; 100 new hospital schemes; 2,700 GP premises improved
Families: Universal, affordable and flexible childcare for parents of all three to 14-year-olds
Retirement: increased numbers moving off benefit and into work and using the savings to design a pension system with the basic state pension at its core, helping hard-working families
Technology: An extra £1bn investment in science; more support for small business; broadband would be brought to every home that wants it by 2008 in an effort to end the "digital divide"
New approach to law and order: dedicated policing teams for all communities; a radical extension of compulsory drug testing for offenders; doubling of investment in drug treatment; trial without jury for organised criminals trying to intimidate jurors
Asylum: More asylum seekers to be removed from Britain than applied each month; electronic registration of all those who cross national borders; but welcome for lawful migrants
[poons - sheesh I'm in tears here what a socialist utopia.
Oh! Hang on.
Economy: tax reliefs for the "many not the few" Socialist = tax reliefs for the poor, increases for the few
Schools: What happened to removing education by priviledge? - oh wait
Successes
Mr Blair pointed to key changes Labour had achieved: including
* record economic success - Gordon Brown
* investment in health and education - Gordon Brown
*drives against pensioner winter problems and Northern Ireland peace - Gordon Brown and Mo Mowlem
"Why is government so tough? Because for all the progress, life is still tough for not hard working families," he went on
[poons - not sure if that is a a typo or a bushism?]
He saluted Gordon Brown as the country's best ever chancellor and John Prescott as "the strongest, most loyal, occasionally most outspoken deputy any leader would ever hope for"
[poons - obligatory arse licking]
The prime minister said he could not take the Liberal Democrats seriously and Tory leader Michael Howard was no longer doing well because people had remembered him
[poons - obligatory rattle stick in empty bucket]
Mr Blair insisted "choice" was not a Tory word as long as it was done equally and not by wealth
[poons- cue complete dissafectedness]
¶ Tuesday, September 28, 2004
